Improvement in processes and apparatus for reducing iron ores



W. A. STEPHENS.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR REDUCING-IRON ORE.

No.177,0Z9.

Patented May 2,1876.

N-PEYERS. FHOTD-UTHOGRAFHER, WASHINGTON, D C.

STEPHENS, ol'Suckasunny Plains, in the counto the bottom of the roasting-oven B, and at- "UNITED WILLIAM A. STEPHENS, or sUoKAsuNNY .PLAI

PATENT CFFICE.

f'ro HIMSELF AND WILLIAM MOLLER, or NEW YORK, n. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN PROCESSES AND AVIIQPARATUS'FORIREDUCING IRON ants;

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.

Marchi l, 1875.

To all whom it may-concern:

Be'it known that I, WILLIAM ALEXANDRE ty of Morris and State of New Jersey, have in- -vented certain new and useful Improvements in Blast-Furnaces and their Appurtenances for smelting Iron and other Ore 5 and I'do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and i exact description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing, which forms 'pa' rt 'ofthis specification.

My invention relates to furnaces adapted for anthracite coal, and for hot-air blasts, and confined to the use of such'sort of coal and such a kind of blast, and noother sort or kind whatever; and it consists, first, in the construction of a peculiar roasting-oven and its -I connections with the furnace proper, whereby j gases evolved in the combustion taking place; in the furnace proper are forced by air-press- 1 um into "the roasting oven; secondly, in the? means employed to produce a hot-air blast in i said furnace proper; and thirdly, in the combi- Z nation of the principal operative parts, all as i 'more fully hereinafterdescribed; also, in the process connected therewith. In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of my entire device, and Fig. 2 a dia-gram or sectional plan upon a reduced scale of the-2 same. I Z A represents the furnace proper, in whichi the ore is melted, ofwhich a convenient form i is shown in Fig. 1. Above this furnace is "placed the roasting-oven B, which is supported by hollow supports 0 0, usually of cast-iron, j and lined with fire-brick, leading from near' the upper outside portion of the furnace A infording a communication for the gases of combustion from said furnace A into said roastingoven. A valve, a, operated by a lever regulates the intensity of heat in the roastingoven, and chutes I) enable the charge to be placed in the same. Air-passages c a c, regulated by valves arranged about the periphery of the bottom of the roasting-oven, admit air therein to aid in combustion. A passage, d, covered with a door, serves to give access to the interior of the roasting-oven, to stir up the contents and to clean out the debris which 177,029, dated May 2,1876; application filed may collect-there. In the central bottom of the said oven a hinged door, 6, with any convenient means of opening or closing the same, permits thecharge in said oven to fallout of the same, and a similar door, f, but of larger dimensions in the top of the furnace, permits thefalling charge to pass at once into thetop of the furnaccproper. 4

- The parts above described-namcl y, the furnace proper, the roastingoven, and the hollow supports connecting the two-are-inclosed in p suitablebrickworkg, which in turn isin'closed by a suitable shell, preferably of "boiler-iron, and said brick work extended above thermisting-oven, as at j, forms the stack or main exit for the furnace. "Between the bottom of the roasting-oven and the top of the furnace proper is a free open space, It, by means of which access is had from the platform at the top of the furnace to the door f, for the purpose of charging said fur nace. A tap-hole, l, at thebottom of the furnace, allows the metal-to run off, and also gives access for kindling the fire in the same, and said furnace is-also furnished with suitable means for removing cinders. Theblast-heating apparatus is composed 0 several heaters, D, arranged about the base of the furnace "proper, each furnishcd with suitable means for burning-anthracite coal, and each having acombustion-chamber, D, arched at-the top, so as to reverberate the heat. Leading out of this is a duct, E, curved downward and gradually contracted to its end,-w here it enters the ,tuyere H,-which reaches into the bottom of the furnace proper, passing through a proper channel, m, the brick wall at that pointbcing reduced in thickness, as shown at I.

A blast-pipe, G, having communication with a suitable blower, has branches G and G the latter being let into the heater below the fire-bed to furnish air for the combustion of the coals, and the former entering directly into the combustion-chamber, and there coiled NS, NEWJERSEY, ASSIGNOR started in the heater D, and theiblast is s'ct in motion. lhen the furnace proper is partly filled from the top with wood and charcoal, and the same kindled. Then anthracite coal is poured in upon thekindled wood and charcoal. and allowed to burn until the furnace and roasting-chamber are thoroughly 'heated. The chamber B is then charged with ore. alone sufficiently to cover the floor of the chamber to the bottom of the chutes, and also to fill the chutes. i i V i i The gases arising from the combustion within the fu'ruace proper are forced by the blast through the'hollow' supports 0 intothe roasting-chamber B, and there, receivingafresh supply of air through the openings 0 in the bottom of said chamber, burn in said" chamber,.and roast and desulphurizeithe ore' contained therein.

After a sufficient roasting, commonlyabout two hours at the first, about one fourth part; of thecharge is suffered to :fall .into the furnace proper through the doors eland f, and -af After-f the first withdrawal of the ore, as described,

fresh charge supplied at the chutes.

the subsequent withdrawals and fresh supanother charge of ore is received from the roasting-cham her, followed by charges of limestone and anthracite coal, as before, and the, same course is continued until the furnace;

proper is filled." After a suitable time the melted contents of the furnace are drawn off in the usual manner.

time consumed jn the proceedings above described, the hot blast is in operation.

The volume-of air blown in at the branch G is regulated by suitable valves, and must be ssuflicient to keep up a lively combustion of Z the coal in the heater. The air blown in at the branch G, the volume of which is also regulated by proper valves, in passingin coils around the combustion-chamber .andthrough the archedtop of the same is intensely heated, and delivered'in such intensely-heated conditionat the mouth of theduct E, where, coming in contact with the gascsarising from the consumption of the coal, thereis an instantaneons'combu'stion of gases atthis point, which are forced forward continually,compressed by the narrowing size of the duct violently through the tuyere into the furnace proper, formin g thereby a hot-blast of great power.

The-advantage, therefore, of the peculiar form of the duct in giving force to the blast :is obvious from vtheabove recital.

By means of the apparatus and process above described I am enabled to make out of magnetic iron-ore, with anthracite coal alone, a high quality of pig-ironiat:avery-cheap rate. Having thus descri bed my in-ren tion,iwh at I claim as new therein ;is--' y i 1.- In combinatiou,:'afunnacezproperyarroasting-oven =(lireetly:=above the same, hollowsupports connecting both, leavin g :an open :space "between the oven mad the furnace proper,

whereby a charge of roasted-ore may :he dropped directly from :said rotten inte -said furnace, substantially ;as described.

2. In combination with the furnace chamber, :a coiled blas'tapipe, =Gl, and itheiduct E, terminating in :the ituyere H, substantially as and for the purposesisct forth. f

3. In' combination 'theroastiugmreu B,=conneeting hollowisupports *0 G, furnace A, the heaters 1) Di, provided with the coiled blastpipe G antl lthe'duct 1E, gsubstantiallyas and for the purposes set forth.

4. In reducing iron ores with anthracite coal and ahot 'blast,the-pr0ce S,}Substantially asdescri bed,co'nsi sti ng in iirs Uiroasting the ore in successive charges in \BILOVOD, and then tilling the furnace by droppii-rg a icharge of the a i sameupon incandescent ooal in th'efurnace, It is to be understood that during thewh'ole then supplying chargesef limestone and coal in the furnace, iiih'GlLtlfli'llbBlWfllS,:fiSKlOSCIibe, dropping new "charges of roasted orezand supplying charges of limestone until the furnace WILLIAM A. istrerunus.

Witnesses:

BENJAMIN W. Hon-mun, FRED. HAYNES.

as 1 heater D, with a reverberating combustion- 

